Rectangular, electric fan assemblies having a relatively narrow depth dimension are in common use to air-cool critical electronic and other components. One or more fans of this type may be mounted on a frame of a piece of electronic equipment to provide the cooling required to keep the electronic equipment operating properly without failure due to excessive heat. Fans used in electronic equipment must often operate continuously, or for long periods of time, and a fan that fails must, therefore, be replaced in a minimum of time. It is also desirable to be able to remove a defective fan without the use of any tools since the unavailability of the tool could delay the replacement of the fan, resulting in unnecessary down-time of the equipment, or in increasing the risk of heat-related problems if the equipment is still operating.
The present invention provides for rapid replacement of defective fans without the use of any tools.